Photo By Jeremy Coburn | During the Aviation and Missile Command change of responsibility ceremony held June 14...... read more read more
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The Aviation and Missile Command welcomed a new senior enlisted leader during a change of responsibility held June 14 at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama.
During a ceremony hosted by AMCOM Commander Maj. Gen. Tom O’Connor, outgoing Command Sgt. Maj. Bradford Smith relinquished the unit colors and incoming Command Sgt. Maj. Christopher Doss received them. The colors symbolize the unit's lineage and honors, as well as the loyalty and unity of its Soldiers. The command sergeant major is the custodian of the colors.
O’Connor said that during Smith’s 33 months as the AMCOM command sergeant major, he was not only a principal advisor to the commander but also a voice for the AMCOM workforce and the Soldiers in the field.
Smith was extensively involved in establishing high-velocity training at the depots, capturing the generational knowledge of the artisans and ensuring that knowledge was used to build the bench and train incoming personnel. He visited the depots, labs and maintenance sites to understand the challenges facing AMCOM employees and the warfighters, and he brought those issues back to headquarters to find solutions that would make their jobs easier and ensure the equipment remained ready.
“Sergent major went out and recognized people,” O’Connor said. “Not only did he pat them on the back, shake their hands and present them with a coin, but he carried their stories throughout the enterprise. We are in a great debt of gratitude for what he did to bring the message and the issues from the field back to our command so we couild resolve them.”
Smith thanked O’Connor for his friendship, mentorship and guidance, as well as his family and friends for their support throughout his career. He said he does what he does because of the warfighters, regardless of their rank, position or command.
“What we do matters, not just for the U.S. Army, but for this country, and it’s about the warfighter, and I remember that every day,” Smith said. “I’m a Soldier going out and helping Soldiers. When I talked to someone outside of the aviation and missile branches, my message was, ‘If I can’t help you, I know somebody who can, so give me your problem, and I’ll take it back to the enterprise.’”
Smith, a native of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, leaves AMCOM for the Army Test and Evaluation Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, later this month. There, he will ensure the Army pursues and acquires equipment that is tested, ready and safe to operate.
Doss comes to AMCOM from Fort Novosel, Alabama, where he was the garrison command sergeant major. The Birmingham, Alabama native said he looks forward to the opportunity to work with the members of the AMCOM team and empower their success.
“Being a leader is not easy,” he said. “We make choices every day that affect the lives of our Soldiers, employees and their families. I will do my best to continue to improve this organization and safeguard our nation.”
The Aviation and Missile Command delivers responsive aviation, missile and calibration materiel readiness to the Army to optimize joint warfighter capabilities at the point of need. The command works to overcome the challenges of an ever-changing strategic environment to ensure the Army and the joint force have the best aviation and missile equipment, services and subject-matter expertise available.
| Date Taken: | 06.21.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 06.26.2024 16:11 |
| Story ID: | 474936 |
| Location: | REDSTONE ARSENAL, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 20 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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